Phase 13
Phase 13 of Battle Angel Alita: Last Order is The World's Zenith! Cover Ketheres Summary As the group rides Jacob's Ladder up to Ketheres, Nova II gives them some antibody capsules to ward off invading nanomachines as LADDER is not to be trusted. When they arrive, Elf and Zwölf admire the view but are told by Alita to wait until she and Sechs investigate. Alita realises that there is some type of shielding in place at the centre of the large room that the elevator faces and that shockwaves are not being reflected back. When she yells out if anyone is present, a tall man appears through an elevator in the floor, introducing himself as Aga Mbadi, the Assistant Chairman of LADDER. He pats the much shorter Alita on the head after she says her name and directly addresses Nova II. Mbadi tells Nova II that he is a son of Ketheres and reveals the existence of the G.E.N.E. Project when Nova II questions this. He explains its history as a LADDER project conceived 154 years ago to create geniuses with superior intellect within the safe confines of Tiphares. However 99% of these geniuses were unstable and throughout the history of the project only four were able to outwit the M.I.B. and arrive at Ketheres. Nova II is the fourth and responds that he knew that he was created, something that that Jim Roscoe learned from the DNA organ. However his ego was not diabolical enough to handle the truth. When Mbadi invites Nova II to step out of the elevator, the latter asks about his predecessors. Mbadi cryptically responds that they are still hard at work and that immortality is possible, as he will be 222 this year. Nova II then prompts Alita, who grabs Mbadi's left arm and twists it behind his back to take him hostage as a safeguard as the rest of the group steps out of the elevator. However when Kimpi suddenly flies off Elf's shoulder, Sechs realises that something is amiss and yells at them to get back. Elf and Zwölf grab Nova II and throw him forward, allowing him to be trapped by a capture polymer and encased in a cube. They and Deckman 100 are also swiftly captured. Alita tries to get Mbadi to release them as Sechs throws her knife at Mbadi. However Mbadi catches the knife with his free hand and flings it back, impaling Sechs in the forehead as she is unable to move and is captured in a cube polymer. Mbadi then executes a flip to free himself from Alita's armlock, forcing her down on one knee. He reveals that she is different from the other androids as he needed physical contact to access her, and Alita realises that her body has been hacked. Mbadi forces her head down until she is range of his shoe to pay her back for twisting his arm and forces her to kiss it. She fires plasma from her left hand but Mbadi redirects her arm so that she slices her lower body off. Both halves are then encased in cube polymers, which Mbadi reveals slow down nanobots 10,000 fold. He then walks over to Nova II and reveals that the other three Tipharean geniuses are still alive as their brain bio-chips are within his head, which is why he is nicknamed Trinidad. Alita and the others are thrown into a refuse area before being ejected into space. Debut appearances Characters *Aga Mbadi Technology *Capture polymer Other *G.E.N.E. Project 013 Category:Angel Eternal